Mental Health and Abuse – Week 2

There are several types of mental illnesses. Mental illness is one of the most difficult illnesses to “cure.” One of the main reasons, in my opinion, is because so many times the person that has a mental illness is either unaware, or in denial. A person with a mental illness thinks they are fine, and everyone around them is wrong. Having lived with a father who had paranoid personality disorder, I can attest to this personally. I often wondered and got angry when he didn’t “get it” that he had a problem. I thought he was refusing to accept responsibility. While that may have been part of it, I honestly believe he was not mentally capable of knowing he was part of the problem. Does that excuse him? Absolutely not. Does that mean the people around someone with a mental illness just have to put up with the mistreatment or abuse? No. How then do you “survive” an abuser with a mental illness? Boundaries. Strong, unyielding, hard-fought boundaries.